From the upcoming Walking Dead Season TwoBlu Ray, a ten minute featurette with Robert Kirkman talking about the difference between the comic and the TV show, and how he likes messing with comic book readers head. Watch it below:

Ah! Fuck you Kirkman, I love you and hate you at the same time!

Fans of The Walking Dead comic book and TV series are broken up into two groups. Group “A” cheers for both show and comic, even though the television series is vastly different from source material. Group “B” – lets call them purists – do nothing but hoot and holler at how the show’s new characters and unique scenarios are nothing but a bastardization of the comic. I file myself in the latter group.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the show. It’s a fine drama. There’s lots of tense moments and eye widening examinations of the human condition. The zombie kills and the precarious “oh shit” moments the characters find themselves in are pretty spiffy too. However, I can’t stand the alterations that have been made from page to screen. Every time some new character is introduced, or when the story digresses from the comic, I’ll scream at the TV saying “THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENS!” It’s rather infuriating.

Whats the big deal? It’s simple really. I got turned onto the comic for a reason. I got attached to the characters and their journey. I’m living vicariously through them. I’m emotionally involved. The whole experience resonated with me. It’s for this very reasonthat the show play out as it did in the comic. This goes for any adaptation.

Here’s an appropriate analogy: It’s like going to your favorite restaurant expecting to enjoy your favorite dish, but the chef decides to “kick it up a notch” and feeds you something different. While the tweaked dish is new, fresh, and may even taste better, it’s not the meal you came for. Such as the case with The Walking Dead.

I understand Robert Kirkman’s desire to keep fans on their toes and service the shock value that the comic is known for. I also appreciate the writers trying to improve upon things. I also understand that show needs to make changes/enhancements in order to have multiple seasons. If the series played exactly as it did in the comic, the show would be over in 2-3 seasons. So, I get it. However, the comic treated me to with a particular experience. I simply want to relieve it. Give it to me the closet way you can and don’t fuck with me. Is that too much to ask?

It’d be one thing if the comic was mediocre and open to improvement, but the series was/is so goddamn good. Kirkman really nailed it. Didn’t he?

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